COVINGTON —
Trees line the sidewalks of Liberty Street in downtown Covington, where local artists and other volunteers are lending their talents to the restoration of a historic home.
The area, where one home built in the 1830s faces another dating back to the 1870s, is part of a neighborhood planned to become a historical district, according to resident Nancy Wagner.
“This is a first-time venture for the Covington area. But it’s been fun and people are enthused,” she explained inside the home being worked upon by local volunteers at 710 Liberty St. The original deed to the property on which it stands was signed by John Quincy Adams when purchased by John Wilson and David Vance on May 6, 1826. The house was built there sometime between 1878 and 1889 by Julia and Theron Wood, who owned the town’s drug store through those years.
The property changed ownership 13 times since 1826, and was ultimately foreclosed upon recently, Wagner said. In need of some repairs, the home has become the project of Fountain County Art Council, Inc., members of which have donated their time and talents to decorating it in partnership with the bank, Fountain County Trust Co.
Six months of effort will culminate in the inaugural Covington Decorator Showhouse 2012 there June 8-10, as the artists display the home to the public and the bank seeks a new owner.
“It will be a wonderful home for a young family,” Wagner said inside the 2,400-square foot, two-story home, complete with a two-car garage and spacious, fenced-in back yard.
“We have 15 decorators and probably another 15 or 20 people who have done work in some shape or form, plus those who are coming in to staff the showhouse.”
On weekdays, Rick Randles wears a suit to Old National Bank, but his nights and weekends are spent in paint-splattered jeans.
“I call it lipstick and rouge,” he laughed inside the garage Sunday, adding he’s neither professional artist nor contractor. But he enjoys restoring old furniture, painting, singing and other forms of art not always available inside a bank.
Wagner, a retired Purdue Extension Educator, owns a small design business in Covington, Step At A Time Interiors. Other volunteering businesses include Two Toads Art Studio and The Gingerbread Shed, as well as individuals who just want to see a historic home shine, like Randles. A local landscaping company will donate its efforts to creating a raised garden in back, and those with construction talents are turning the garage into a “man cave,” she said.
“A lot of the furnishings will be for sale,” she said, pointing out she built the newly remodeled kitchen’s light fixtures herself.
What Realtor will eventually handle the sale, or what price the bank will ask, is all up in the air still, she said. Ticket sales from the event will go toward the Fountain County Art Council Inc., which has also converted another downtown historic building into a museum. The group, she said, was born in the 1980s when she and others hosted art festivals in the courthouse lawn.
And old meets new inside the home, where the hardwood flooring upstairs is believed to date back to the late19th century. New wiring, fixtures and roofing has been added, but crafted gingerbread and other carvings throughout the home hearken to an era before electric tools were used.
The showhouse will be hosted in conjunction with another downtown festival, A Day of Gardens and Art, which will be hosted Saturday, June 9, around the Fountain County Clerks Building Museum at 516 Fourth St., she said. Live music, book signings by local authors and the works of artists will merge with tours of eight area gardens. Wagner said she hopes visitors from out of town make a day of it, and perhaps stop for dinner at The Beef House nearby.
Ultimately, the group hopes the activity will lead to some interested family deciding to continue the work at 710 Liberty St., making it their home, as other families have been doing since the 19th century.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
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Ornate: Nancy Wagner talks about the mantel and fireplace in the home at 710 Liberty St. in Covington. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
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Showhouse: 710 Liberty St. in Covington will be the site of the Summer 2012 Decorator Showhouse.
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Shapes: The Covington home offers many lines, angles, shapes and shadows that combine the old and new parts of the home into one unique package of possibilities.
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Dynamic duo: Nancy Wagner and Rick Randles spent Sunday working on the house at 710 Liberty St. in Covington.
Discussion
Showhouse seen as start of something historic
Volunteers helping restore grandeur to 19th century home
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